Posted on 08/04/2007 7:48:45 PM PDT by navysealdad
“Since then I was (and still am) hoping a pitcher or two would make a statement by intentionally walking him when Bond is up at bat with the record on the line.”
Yeah, and I’ve been hoping that Barry would reach across the plate and belt one of those intentional balls right back to the pitcher, just to make a “statement”.
I dunno... it takes more than just steroids. Look at his other stats:
#3 all-time in runs scored (ahead of Aaron and Ruth, both at 2174, only 38 behind Ty Cobb and 88 behind Rickey Henderson)...
#4 in RBIs (Aaron, Ruth, and Gherig, 302 ahead of the nearest active player, Junior)...
#14 in doubles (5 behind Ripken, and 64 behind current active-player leader #6 Craig Biggio)...
#32 in stolen bases (#2 among active players, and 100 ahead of #3 Biggio. Kenny Lofton is #15)...
#5 all-time in on-base percentage (Ruth is #2, Aaron isn’t in the top 20)...
#5 in slugging percentage (Ruth is #1, Aaron again is out of the top 20)...
#1 in walks (by over 346 of them! He topped Rickey early in 2004)...
Plenty of guys have used steroids to try to get ahead... but only one has come close to any of these numbers. McGwire (#8 in RBI and On-Base %) is the only admitted steroid user in the top 20 in any batting category.
That kind of a resume takes an exceptional combination of skill, experience, longevity, an amazing eye, health, coordination, and even some luck. An increase in muscle mass might have meant a few dozen HRs... but that doesn’t change his overall resume. Heck, he only topped 50 HRs once. Slice off those “extra” 23 dingers in 2004, and he’s still got a solid argument for the best-of-all-time award.
By the way, Ruth had 1,368 fewer at-bats, and Aaron had 2,597 more at-bats than Bonds. Ruth walked 2,062 times #3 behind Rickey and Barry), Aaron only 1,695. Bonds is at 2,596 and counting. Aaron is #2 all-time behind Ripken for grounding into double plays. Bonds and Ruth are not in the top 100.
Junior has already struck out 30 more times than Bonds (1,530), despite all of the missed games and 2 fewer years, and A-Rod is only 43 behind Bonds, despite playing 8 fewer years and against diluted pitching. BOBBY Bonds is #11 all-time, Barry is only #30 at the moment. (Reggie, Sosa, and Galarraga are the only ones in the 2,000 club.)
McGwire is #1 in “HR percentage”, Ruth #2, and Bonds #3. Aaron is #33. A-Rod is #9, and Junior #10. (Thome, Manny, Kiner, Killebrew, and Sosa are #4-8)
(And Biggio only needs to get beaned 5 more times for the all-time record of 287. Rose has 107, Bonds 105.)
(http://www.baseball-almanac.com/himenu.shtml)
Author Kurt Vonnegut was known for using the asterisk as "his mark" (and as a symbol for "a-hole") early in his career. "Breakfast of Champions" (1973) was the book htat made it famous. My best friend's sister has a signed copy with an asterisk in it. It is her prized possession.
Small balls bttt
Palmiero?
Frank Thomas said something when he hit #500 - something about being able to rest easy knowing he came by every homer honestly...
The Babe was also one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of his era, before he became an everyday player. Which is why I still consider him the greatest baseball player ever.
“You can’t tell me that steroids are going to be able to increase his hand-eye coordination in such a way that he is going to hit so many more homeruns than he would without.”
They won’t increase it. What they will do is make him stronger. If he is stronger he will be able to hit the ball harder which will result in more home runs.
“Lets not condemn an entire sport just because of one rotten apple. “
It isn’t one. Baseball has had a culture of cheating for a couple decades now. Finally public pressure is forcing them to do something but there were a lot of folks in the Bonds/Sosa/McGuire/Giambi/Canseco/Palmero generation who were cheating.
How ironic. Dude ties the all-time HR record while 98% of the public (including me) is praying for a career-ending injury. This whole thing is such an embarrassment.
If "cheatin' bonds" gets into the HOF, Rose should too.
See post #89 for how.
Baseball has given us some great monikers over the years...
Sultan of Swat
Say Hey Kid
The Mick
Joltin’ Joe
Hammerin’ Hank
What about Bonds? I suggest “Sir Inge”.
He will never be universally acknowledged to be the HR leader but he did have one hell of a career. Shame on him.
He can take solace in the fact that he probably also leads in the Prick standings.
The professional record is 868 by Sudaharu Oh of Japan. I like the 755 asterisks.
A pity to, Pete Rose was a hard nosed baseball player and competitor who I enjoyed watching play the game.
Bonds? Not so much, home runs are great, but Bonds was just a jerk IMO I’ve never seen anyone who plays a child’s game not enjoy doing it for a living but Barry doesn’t seem to like it.
Hank Aaron... this is the record.
Barry Bonds.....this is the record on drugs.
I have ocean front property in Arizona you might be interested in.
This whole thread sounds exactly like DUmmies talking about Karl Rove. Success generates hatred, and an intense desire to dismiss the succeeder’s accomplishments based on the flimsiest of pretexts.
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